Isaiah 42: A New Song

"See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them" (vs. 9).  In chapter 42, the prophet Isaiah is blessed to bring forth new prophecies which tell of a coming "servant" of the Lord who will do mighty things.

Beginning in verse 1, we see that the approval of the Lord is clearly upon His servant.  "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations" (vs. 1).  This servant is foretold to be the one who will establish justice throughout the world.

Christians see this passage, and others like it, as a prophecy of Jesus Christ.  It's easy to see why, with such verses as, "I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness" (vs. 6-7).  This text sounds very similar to a passage (also from Isaiah) that Jesus read at the outset of his ministry, words which he proclaimed were fulfilled in the hearing of that congregation (Luke 4:16-21).  In addition, the term "covenant" is theologically loaded and portends a new relationship with the people of the world through this "light to the nations."

The sending of Christ into the world is such a momentous, earth-shattering event that we should be surprised if it was not foreseen by the Old Testament prophets.  Instead, we regularly come across prophecies that indicate God is going to provide a very special someone to come and make things rights.  After all, God is preparing to issue a new covenant through Israel, this one with the world.  He proclaims in scripture what He will do, in advance, so as to give people a reason to believe.  As the Lord says in verse 9, "before [new things] spring forth, I tell you of them."

This is one of the purposes of prophecy.  While prophecy is not always about the future (being more a "forthtelling" of the mind of God than a "foretelling" of future events), sometimes it is very appropriate that prophecy does indeed deal with what God is going to do in the future.  In this case, God wants His people to know that they are not forsaken or abandoned, but will be redeemed through the Chosen One of Israel.  We will see more such hints and foreshadowing as we read through Isaiah.